We’re really talking about the difference between spirit and soul here. The path of the spirit is straight and upward. The path of the soul is crooked, downward and disturbing. The soul’s road is the road of initiation into manhood as well. Our purpose is not to be “good” but to be real, to know our darkness, the via negativa, not to be naive and innocent. Initiation means knowing what we’re capable of, our limits, our hungers, our desires. That is often painful knowledge to acquire. But we are only capable of responsibility and wise choice when we are aware of those factors.
